Purpose
To assist schools with the cost of school managed facility projects that aim to enhance learning outcomes for students and the community.
The funding is initiated for building works that fall outside of the scope of other infrastructure programs offered by the Department of Education.
The School Subsidy Scheme (SSS) is supportive of innovative infrastructure projects.
Duration of program
Ongoing and offered annually*
Eligibility
All Queensland state schools (including state primary, high, middle and special schools; environmental educational centres; and distance education schools) are eligible to seek funding to initiate projects of $50,000 and above under the SSS. The maximum subsidy value provided to each project is $500,000, including those staged over time.
Please refer to the program guidelines for examples of eligible projects.
Allocation of funds
A total budget of up to $10 million is offered annually. Applications close in November of the prior year with program approval in June the following year.
Project approval is subject to funding availability and Ministerial approval.
Funds are paid to the relevant school and the principal will be responsible for funds being used appropriately and to ensure the project is delivered within required departmental and legislative requirements, as outlined in the program guidelines.
Funding applications will consist of a co-contribution from the school or centre, in addition to the subsidy amount being sought. The split in contributions to make up the overall proposed project budget is determined by the SSS calculator. The school's location, student enrolment and estimated project costs are taken into account when calculating the required school contribution.
Payment details
| On contact award | In the next scheduled monthly payment | 100% |
Data requirements
Applications submitted must provide a clear plan of what is intended to be delivered and must meet the mandatory requirements as detailed in the program guidelines and application form.
Recoupment process
Recoupments of SSS funds may be made from schools where a project does not proceed or there are savings as a result of the project costs coming under budget.
How to apply
In the first instance, the school principal is to discuss the proposed project with their regional Infrastructure Advisor to obtain support for the scope of works. They are also encouraged to discuss their proposal with the SSS coordinator throughout the application process.
The school principal then submits an application that details the project scope and school financial contributions to the SSS program coordinator.
It is important that all mandatory requirements as detailed in the program guidelines are provided. Once the application is deemed complete and all attachments have been verified as correct, the SSS program coordinator will return a confirmation of receipt email to the school principal.
Central office delegates undertake a technical and functional review of the applications and provide feedback to the regional assessment panels. The regional assessment panels will assess the applications against set criteria published in the program guidelines and assign a priority rating to the applications according to the total scores.
The prioritised applications will then be sent to the statewide panel which allocates funding according to the regional priority rating of submissions, total funding available and the need to share the funding broadly across the state.
The Minister for Education will approve the list of recommended projects in late June. Funding will be available from July of the financial year to which the funding is assigned.
Applications close in November of the prior year. The closing date for the year and current application forms are available on the SSS OnePortal page.
Contact
School Subsidy Scheme Program Coordinator
Infrastructure Services Division
Email:
schoolsubsidyscheme@qed.qld.gov.au
*This profile is now centrally managed—departmental staff can search 'school subsidy scheme' on OnePortal for more information.